Syria, Libya (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Occupation and Defiance

View Syria - Tuesday 17/05/11 in a larger map

Map of protests on 17 May

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Today's videos have moved to a separate entry "Syria and Yemen Video Special: The Protests of Defiance

2045 GMT: Within this summary of the Obama Administration's diplomatic push ahead of the President's speech on Thursday is this nugget:

White House counterterrorism advisor John Brennan has been busily firming up the administration's stance on Yemen, where protesters have been pressing the government to fulfill promises of a leadership change. Brennan called President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Wednesday to urge him to implement the Gulf Cooperation Council-brokered agreement, which would see Saleh step down from power.

"Brennan noted that this transfer of power represents the best path forward for Yemen to become a more secure, unified, and prosperous nation and for the Yemeni people to realize their aspirations for peace and political reform," the White House said in a statement about the call.

The US intervention did not work, at least in the short-term: Saleh pushed away the deal this evening.

2040 GMT: An activist claims, "Unknown individuals threatened to burn down the church in Deir al Zour [in northeast Syria], Christian and Muslim young men take turns defending the church."

1949 GMT: Breaking news: AJE is reporting that Colonel Gaddafi's wife and daughter have crossed into Tunisia. More details when we have them...

1948 GMT: A possible concession in Bahrain - Bahraini officials have invited the United Nations to investigate charges of human rights abuses during a military takeover of the Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) back in March. 

1940 GMT: Today, we reported earlier that the United States will name Bashar al-Assad and 6 other high ranking officials as the target of new U.S. sanctions. However, the Obama administrations message to al-Assad is stronger than our initial report may have suggested:

"It is up to Assad to lead a political transition or to leave," according to US government talking points distributed by the State Department.

1934 GMT: Back from a break to find some good news. Four Western journalists detained in Libya have been released:

Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi first captured GlobalPost correspondent James Foley, Clare Morgana Gillis, who has written for The Atlantic and USA Today, and Manuel Varela, a Spanish photographer who works under the name Manu Brabo, on April 5.

The fourth reporter appears to be Nigel Chandler, a British freelance journalist. It is unclear when, and under what circumstances, authorities first detained him.

1728 GMT: According to parliamentary opposition spokesman Mohammed Qahtan, Yemeni president Ali Abdulllah Saleh has backed out of an argeement, reached last night, that would see him give power to his vice-president within 30 days.  

1709 GMT: The Obama administration has named Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as well as 6 other top officials, as a focus of a new wave of sanctions. The sanctions will freeze any assets of the individuals, will prevent U.S. citizens from conducting business with them, and those individuals will also not be allowed to travel to U.S. territory. 

1701 GMT: An update about the four journalists who are being set free in Libya (update at 0750). According to Libyan officials, the four had been found guilty and had been sentenced to one year in prison, but that sentence has been overturned and they are due to be released. The AP, however, has this clarification:

"Reporters earlier had been told that the detained journalists would be freed Tuesday or Wednesday, but Ibrahim said Wednesday that the delay was a "matter of routine checks and procedures." He did not elaborate.

"The names Ibrahim listed on Wednesday of the reporters to be released were different from those he gave to reporters in Tripoli a day earlier.

"On Wednesday he said that the journalists who have gone through a hearing and sentencing are Spanish photographer Manu Brabo; American news agency reporter James Wright Foley; Tunisian Lutfi Ben-Qasim, and Nigel Chandler, identified as British.

"On Tuesday, American Clare Morgana Gillis, a freelance journalist taken into custody with Foley, also was on the Ibrahim's list.

"Ibrahim said Wednesday he wasn't sure of Gillis' status.

"No one with the name Nigel Chandler previously had been reported missing in Libya. But a British journalist named Nigel Taylor, who formerly worked at the BBC, went missing in March. The discrepancy could not immediately be resolved."

1618 GMT: According to Reuters:

The United Nations is negotiating with Libya's government, rebels and NATO to stop fighting for 24 to 72 hours to allow food and medical supplies to reach civilians, especially in the west, Panos Moumtzis, humanitarian coordinator for Libya, said.

1609 GMT: Today, protesters in Homs shout "Rise oh bird, rise (freedom) Bye, bye O Bashar..sweet dreams. Leave."

NOTE: Videos have moved to a separate entry,

Syria and Yemen Video Special: The Protests of Defiance

More anti-Assad chanting in the market of Homs, where a general strike kept many store fronts closed.

1605 GMT: Tunis has lifted an overnight curfew, imposed earlier this month after several days of unrest. 

1546 GMT: A new source claims to have compiled information about yesterday's protests in Syria into a Google Map, complete with videos. Much of the information on the map we have not verified, but several of the claims made match our previous reports. NOTE: The map is now at the top of the entry

1536 GMT: This first video shows an indoor market in Homs. It should be bustling, but most of the shops are closed during a strike in protest against the government of Syria. The second video shows that the strike is larger than just one market.

NOTE: Videos have moved to a separate entry,

Syria and Yemen Video Special: The Protests of Defiance

Also, the gaffiti on the walls in the previous video from Zabadani shows anti-Assad slogans.

1519 GMT: Yesterday we reported that Syrian opposition leaders were calling for a labor strike. Today, we see video from the southwestern city of Zabadani. Strike videos are the best, because unlike most protest videos, the silence is golden.

NOTE: Videos have moved to a separate entry,

Syria and Yemen Video Special: The Protests of Defiance

1432 GMT: This video claims to show protesters in Maarrat an Numan, Syria. Another source is claiming that 3000 protesters gathered there yesterday, and there is yet another video suggesting that protesters gathered there late last night. What's far more interesting to us, however, is that in the video below, protesters can be heard chanting slogans in favor of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan has been mired in a delicate balancing act since the beginning of the Arab Awakening. He strongly condemned Egyptian President Mubarak, but Erdogan has much closer personal, and dilomatic, ties to Syria's al-Assad. Still, Erdogan has urged al-Assad to show restraint against protesters and quickly adopt reforms. This video is evidence that Erdogan's message is resonating in the streets.

1355 GMT: James Miller will be taking the live blog through the next few hours.

A source has posted this video, claiming to show students shouting "God is great" in a rally at Aleppo University last night. Syrian officials have been attempting to limit protests in Aleppo, but university students have become a thorn in the regime's side there.

NOTE: Videos have moved to a separate entry,

Syria and Yemen Video Special: The Protests of Defiance

1150 GMT: President Bashar al-Assad has said Syrian security forces have made mistakes during the uprising that began 15 March, blaming-poorly trained police officers in part for the reported deaths of more than 850 people.

Assad's comments were carried Wednesday in the private Al-Watan newspaper, owned by his ally Rami Makhlouf.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press is reporting that, despite opposition calls for a general strike, schools, shops and other businesses are open in the capital Damascus and other cities amid a tight security presence.

1140 GMT: Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces have commented on their Facebook page:

There is absolutely no truth to what has been reported by the media that the supreme council is moving towards a pardon for former president Mohammed Hosni Mubarak or his family. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces does not interfere in one way or the other in legal procedures to hold the former regime symbols accountable.

Reports circulated Monday that Mubarak might apologise to the Egyptian people in an audio message on Egyptian State TV. His wife Suzanne reportedly struck a deal with prosecutors on Tuesday that she would be free in return for bail and the return of $3.37 million in assets to the country.

1130 GMT: Regime tanks have shelled the Syrian border town Tal Kalakh for the fourth day in a row.

Troops have been in the town since Saturday, a day after a demonstration demanded "the overthrow of the regime".

Human rights activist Razan Zaitouna said security forces have killed at least 27 civilians in the operation.

State news agency SANA, quoting a military source, claimed eight soldiers had been killed on Tuesday in Tal Kalakh and in the southern rural Deraa province. Five of the dead, it asserted, were slain by an "armed terrorist group" which fired on a security patrol.

1000 GMT: Opposition groups in Yemen have said that an agreement on transition has been reached with President Ali Abdullah Saleh and will be signed Wednesday.

The deal, put forward by the six nations of the Gulf Co-operation Council, had appeared to stall more than two weeks ago when Saleh backed away; however, the opposition said the situation had changed after US and European mediation.

Under the arrangements, Saleh will transfer power to his Vice President within 30 days in exchange for immunity from prosecution for him and his family.

0750 GMT: Libyan officials are now saying that four foreign journalists detained in Libya in early April were found guilty by a Tripoli court Tuesday and sentenced to one year in prison.

Regime spokesman Moussa Ibrahi said that the four would not have to serve their prison terms and might be released Wednesday or Thursday.

Three of the four detainees are believed to be James Foley, a GlobalPost photojournalist, Clare Morgana Gillis, who was working for The Atlantic and USA Today, and Manu Brabo, a Spanish photojournalist.

Earlier on Tuesday, Ibrahim said the trial of the journalists had been postponed indefinitely.

0745 GMT: Claimed footage of women marching in Taiz in Yemen on Tuesday, chanting, "The People and the Army Are One":

NOTE: Videos have moved to a separate entry,

Syria and Yemen Video Special: The Protests of Defiance

0730 GMT: Two clips of anti-regime protests last night in Rastan, north of Damascus, with chants of "Allahu Akhbar" (God is Great):

NOTE: Videos have moved to a separate entry,

Syria and Yemen Video Special: The Protests of Defiance

0610 GMT: An Iranian national, Fadhila Mubarak Ahmed, is the first woman convicted by Bahraini authorities for "imperilling national safety" since mass protests began on 14 February.

Ahmed was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of assault on a public officer, incitement of hatred of the regime, participation in a rally with the intent to commit crimes, and undermining public order.

The court said Ahmed was speeding as she approached a security checkpoint on 27 March, with her car’s audio system blaring anti-regime statements.

During her arrest by the public security, Ms. Ahmed reportedly grabbed the shirt of one of security personnel before pushing him.

The court said Ahmed also took part in a rally at the Pearl Roundabout, the symbolic centre of protests in February and March.

0600 GMT: Al Jazeera reported Dorothy Parvaz, who was detained in Syria on 29 April and then was sent to Tehran, has been released, according to her fiancé.  

Todd Barker said Parvaz had arrived in Qatar, travelling to Canada on Wednesday or Thursday: "The family and me are elated, and we're really grateful to the Iranian authorities who treated her very respectfully. It's over."

Parvaz works for Al Jazeera and has Canadian, Iranian, and American citizenship. She used her Iranian passport to enter Damascus on 29 April.

(cross-posted from our Iran LiveBlog)

0545 GMT: A coalition of eight opposition groups has rejected an amnesty for former President Hosni Mubarak.

Egyptian media had indicated on Tuesday that Mubarak, overthrown in February, would broadcast a voice message on TV channels. The former President would apologise to the Egyptian people and ask for a for pardon for any mistakes that he or his family had made.

In its statement, the Coordinating Committee for the Masses of the Revolution said, "We will try all those who committed criminal or political offences, whatever the consequences or sacrifices. And we did not authorize anyone to pardon those criminals."

The Committee continued, "We strongly warn against any attempt to pardon the former president or any of the representatives of his regime, whose hands are stained with the blood of the people. And we reject any apology, reconciliation or even discussion in this matter."

The Committee includes the 25 January Revolution Youth Coalition, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Alliance of Egyptian Revolutionaries, and a number of independent public figures.

0540 GMT: Canada has expelled five Libyan diplomats.

The Department of Foreign Affairs issued a statement, “The activities carried out in Canada by the five Libyan diplomats are considered inappropriate and inconsistent with normal diplomatic functions."

0530 GMT: Hundreds of Egyptian students and professors protested on Tuesday outside the Cabinet building, demanding the dismissal of university presidents and faculty deans by the end of this academic year.

The demonstrators, challenging officials appointed during the Mubarak regime, are demanding that senior university administrators should be elected rather than appointed.

0500 GMT: A NATO official has denied a claim by Libyan state television that regime forces hit a coalition warship off the coast of the opposition-held city of Misurata, 210 km (130 miles) east of Tripoli: "It's a totally fabricated allegation."

NATO craft have secured the port area in the last week, driving away regime ships and preventing the mining of the area. On Monday, NATO said it had blocked an attack by assault boats with explosives and mannequins, seeking to lure in the coalition's vessels.

0455 GMT: Al Jazeera English broadcasts new footage, shot 8 May, of Syrian residents defying a military occupation of Daal, 15 kilometres (10 miles) north of the flashpoint town of Daraa in the south. 

The report summarises the recent regime moves and claims that, despite claims of a withdrawal, the military is still present in Daraa. And on the other side, it features the night-time protests which continue despite the crackdown of President Assad's forces.